


Partners in Crime

by TheBetterQuibbler



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Male Slash, Relationship(s), Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-06-06 16:57:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6762388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBetterQuibbler/pseuds/TheBetterQuibbler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Albus Severus Potter is attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and his biggest fear has come true: He has been sorted into Slytherin. Now he must navigate the house he fears while figuring out what it was about himself that landed him there. With the help of friends, family, and the son of his father's childhood enemy, Albus might make it through the next seven years in one piece.</p><p>Of course, anything could happen at Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And So It Begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quotes marked with * are direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I did not create them and claim no ownership of them.

            “I _won’t_! I _won’t_ be in Slytherin!”*

            My brother James and I were walking ahead of our parents and sister through King’s Cross, arguing back and forth as we wove our way through the crowded train station. I shoved James angrily, but he only laughed and jogged a little to catch his balance.

            “James, give it a rest!”* our mum called after my brother, who shot me a cocky smile.

            “I only said he might be. There’s nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slyth—”*

            The sight of our mum’s glare shut him up as we approached the barrier between platforms nine and ten, but even though he wasn’t talking anymore I was still fuming. James always taunted me, but this time was different. This time it was about something that actually mattered. My whole family had been in Gryffindor, and what if I ruined that? Being sorted into Ravenclaw wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, I supposed, and being sorted into Hufflepuff would be a bit embarrassing—although my parents always scolded us whenever we spoke poorly of either house—but being sorted into Slytherin? That was the house of dark witches and wizards.

            As we reached the barrier, James took the trolley loaded with his school things from our mum and shot me another cocky look before charging at the wall at full speed and disappearing through it. As soon as he had disappeared I turned to my parents.

            “You’ll write to me, won’t you?”*

            My mum smiled kindly at me. “Every day, if you want us to.”*

            My face flushed, and I hurriedly said, “Not every day. James says most people only get letters from home about once a month.”*

            “We wrote to James three times a week last year.”*

            “And you don’t want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts,”* my dad added. “He likes a laugh, your brother.”*

            My dad beckoned with a jerk of his head for me to come over and help him push the trolley through the barrier. I hurried over and took a hold of the handle. Together, he and I pushed it, my sister grasping onto his arm and my mum walking beside us through the brick wall. I’d done this before, the last two years when we’d dropped James off by himself for school, but I still winced as we passed through the wall onto Platform 9¾. The train platform was hazy with steam, and James had already disappeared, but I was more concerned with finding someone else.

            “Where are they?”* I peered through the swarms of bodies that moved about, but none looked familiar.

            “We’ll find them,”* my mum reassured me. She, my dad, and I all searched the crowd for a moment as we walked deeper into the fog, and then she said, “I think that’s them, Al.”*

            I excitedly hurried forward ahead of my parents and sister toward the forms that stood near the very last carriage. As I approached them, my cousin Rose smiled widely as she caught sight of me.

            “Hi!”* I said, relieved to have found her as well as her parents and brother. She was already dressed in her school robes, and my stomach dropped slightly as I wondered if I should be as well. Then I remembered that James hadn’t been, and my worry eased only slightly. Our parents began to talk as they loaded our things onto the train, and Lily and Hugo, Rose’s brother, began to chatter about which house they would be sorted into in two years’ time. Meanwhile Rose and I stood silently side by side, our nerves practically ricocheting off of each other.

            As Uncle Ron stepped back off of the train and heard Lily and Hugo’s conversation, he said, “If you’re not in Gryffindor, we’ll disinherit you, but no pressure.”*

            “ _Ron!_ ”*

            Lily and Hugo laughed, but Rose and I remained solemn, my throat clenching up in fear.

            Together our mothers chorused, “He doesn’t mean it.”*

            Uncle Ron wasn’t paying attention anymore, however. Instead, he caught my dad’s eye and nodded at something through the mist. I squinted until I could see a family of slender, blond people who looked less than friendly. The father caught sight of my parents and aunt and uncle and nodded once, curtly, before turning away. My gaze remained focused on the son. He looked to be my age, with blond hair slicked back neatly away from his thin, sallow face. He wore all black, the clothes appearing expensive and new. His cold, grey eyes met my own green ones briefly before flickering away with disinterest.

            “So that’s little Scorpius,”* Uncle Ron said under his breath. “Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother’s brains.”*

            Aunt Hermione sighed, trying to be stern, although her eyes betrayed her amusement. “Ron, for heaven’s sake. Don’t try to turn them against each other before they’ve even started school!”*

            “You’re right, sorry.”* Uncle Ron paused, then added, “Don’t get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood.”*

            Rose flushed bright red, but thankfully James reappeared just then.

            “Hey!”*

            James no longer had any of his school supplies, and his face was flushed with excitement, his brown eyes nearly popping out of his head.

            Breathlessly, he panted, “Teddy’s back there. Just seen him! And guess what he’s doing? _Snogging Victoire_!”* He looked between the adults excitedly, his smile falling a bit as they simply stared at him. “ _Our_ Teddy! _Teddy Lupin_! Snogging _our_ Victoire! _Our_ cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing—”*

            Mum cocked an eyebrow. “You interrupted them? You are _so_ like Ron—”*

            “—and he said he’d come to see her off! And then he told me to go away! He’s _snogging_ her!”* James appeared concerned that we weren’t hearing him right, and he stared at each adult individually as if waiting for some kind of reaction.

            “Oh, it would be lovely if they got married,”* Lily whispered enthusiastically. “Teddy would really be part of the family then!”* I nodded in agreement. Teddy was like a big brother, only better because he didn’t taunt and bully me like James did.

            Dad chuckled and said, “He already comes round for dinner about four times a week. Why don’t we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?”*

            James nodded his head vigorously, as though he were a bobble head. “Yeah! I don’t mind sharing a room with Al—Teddy could have my room!”*

            “No,”* dad said firmly, “you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished.”* I considered offering that we kick James out entirely and let Teddy replace him, but I knew that my suggestion would be turned down, so I stayed quiet. Dad checked his watch, and then said, “It’s nearly eleven, you’d better get on board.”*

            My stomach dropped down into my toes. This was it.

            As mum wrapped her arms around James for a hug, she said, “Don’t forget to give Neville our love!”*

            “Mum! I can’t give a professor _love_!”*

            “But you know Neville!—”*

            “Outside, yeah, but at school he’s Professor Longbottom, isn’t he? I can’t walk into Herbology and give him love…”*

            I snickered quietly, but James heard me and aimed a kick at my shins.

            “See you later, Al. Watch out for the thestrals.”*

            I stared at him in horror. “I thought they were invisible? _You said they were invisible!_ ”*

            James only laughed, allowing a kiss from mum and a quick hug from dad before running off, and I turned to my parents in a panic.

            “Thestrals are nothing to worry about,”* dad assured me. “They’re gentle things, there’s nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won’t be going up to school in the carriages, you’ll be going in the boats.”*

            Mum came over and gave me a peck on the cheek, saying, “See you at Christmas.”*

            Dad then pulled me into a hug. “Bye, Al. Don’t forget Hagrid’s invited you to tea next Friday. Don’t mess with Peeves. Don’t duel anyone till you’ve learned how. And don’t let James wind you up.”*

            As my dad pulled away, I dropped my voice to a whisper and looked up at him fearfully. “What if I’m in Slytherin?”*

            He looked at me for a moment before crouching down so that he was now looking up at me. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but it wasn’t going anywhere.

            “Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.”*

            “But just say—”*

            “—then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won’t it? It doesn’t matter to us, Al. But if it matters to you, you’ll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account.”*

            “Really?”*

            “It did for me.”* I stared at my dad with wide eyes. He’d never told us that before. It felt like a secret that was ours, just his and mine now, and it made me a little braver.

            I threw my arms around his neck one more time as the train doors were slamming and there was a flurry of activity on the platform. Rose was already on the train, and I hurried to join her. Mum slammed the car door closed behind me, and Rose and I dangled out of the train windows to say our final goodbyes. Around us, a ton of faces were turned toward dad, trying to get a better look at him for some reason.

            “Why are they _staring_?”* I demanded.

            “Don’t let it worry you,”* said Uncle Ron, cracking a grin. “It’s me. I’m extremely famous.”*

            Rose, Hugo, Lily, and I all laughed at Uncle Ron’s joke, and then the train began to move, slowly at first, with jerks and harsh stops, but then it slowly began to pick up speed, gliding along the track. As it moved, dad moved with it, waving at me the whole way down the platform. I grinned eagerly at him, waving back, my fear now turned to enthusiasm as I watched Platform 9¾ slip out of view as the Hogwarts Express rounded a corner, whisking us away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


	2. The Journey

            Once the train had rounded the corner Rose and I sat down across from each other, hands folded and resting in our laps, a bit speechless from excitement. Rose was the one who spoke up first.

            “My dad told me that Dementors attacked the train once.” I stared at her in silence, wondering if that was her idea of calming our nerves. She seemed to realize that what she’d said was in no way reassuring, and so she added, “It was because they were looking for an escaped prisoner, though, so it isn’t like they’re just going to drop by for afternoon tea today or anything.”

            I nodded slowly before turning and looking out the window, watching as the countryside rolled past us lazily. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around the fact that every second was bringing me closer to attending Hogwarts, the school I’d dreamed about since I was old enough to comprehend the stories my dad told us about his adventures there. Sneaking around under the invisibility cloak, midnight duels, sneaking dragons into the Astronomy tower… Mum didn’t necessarily like the fact that he was telling us those things. She thought that we would think that it was alright to break the rules and get into trouble whenever we felt like it. Aunt Hermione felt the same way. But dad and Uncle Ron told us the stories anyway, and I dreamed of playing on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and competing in a Tri Wizard Tournament. James always claimed that I was too big of a chicken to have adventures like dad, and maybe he was right, but I liked to think that I could do it.

            “Well, if it isn’t my two favorite cousins!” a voice exclaimed from the compartment door. I nearly jumped out of my seat, and my head whipped around to see who the rather loud voice belonged to. Fred, in all of his red haired, lanky-limbed glory, bounded into the compartment and collapsed next to me, throwing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into a noogie. I swatted him away as Rose giggled, and Fred flashed her a sly smile. “So are you guys ready for your first year at the greatest wizarding school in the world?”

            Rose nodded eagerly. “It’s going to be fantastic. My mum told me all about the classes that I’ll be taking. General first year courses of course, but I’m already planning ahead to what I’ll take my third year. Mum warned me off of taking too many classes and overloading my schedule, but I just don’t know how I’m going to pick between—”

            “Woah, woah, woah, Rosie, calm down,” Fred laughed, waving his arms in front of him as a signal for her to stop. She quickly bit her lip and smiled sheepishly.

            “Sorry.”

            “I should have figured you’d be most excited about classes. Al, please tell me that you’ve got something more exciting to look forward to.”

            I shrugged. “I’m excited to watch Quidditch.”

            “That’s the ticket! Come on out to cheer on your favorite cousin! Oh, and you brother too, I guess.” He winked, and then stood up in one swift motion. “Speaking of, I’m off to find your brother. Any idea of where he may be?”

            “I dunno. He ran off toward one of the front cars back at the station.”

            “Sounds about right. We like to sit up there to get first pick of the sweets when the trolley comes by. Keep that in mind for next year. Live and learn, am I right? Anyway, I’ll see you guys later.” And with a wave he was gone.

            “I don’t see what’s so unexciting about classes,” Rose muttered under her breath.

            The rest of the train ride was uneventful. Rose and I each got a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans and a chocolate frog (I got Merlin on my card, and Rose got Albus Dumbledore, a past Hogwarts headmaster and my namesake). We took turns eating a bean and then guessing what flavor it was, which was fun until I happened upon a vomit flavored bean. After twenty minutes of spitting out the window, trying to get the taste out of my mouth, it was time for me to change into my school robes. Once I was dressed and ready to go Rose and I got to talking about being sorted once more.

            “I honestly wouldn’t mind being put into Ravenclaw,” Rose admitted. “Mum told me that you have to answer a riddle every time you want to enter the common room, which I think would be pleasantly satisfying.”

            “But you’d rather be in Gryffindor, right?” I asked, fiddling with my robe between my fingers.

            “Well, it’s practically our family’s house, isn’t it? My dad’s whole family was in Gryffindor, including your mum. And your dad’s whole family was as well, weren’t they? And my mum’s muggle born, but she was Gryffindor, too. It feels like it would be a bit of a betrayal, I guess.”

            “Yeah,” I agreed, nodding. “I think so, too.”

            “But it’s not really something you can control, is it? So we’ll just have to make due with whatever house we’re put in.” I nodded again, but my dad’s words came back to me, about how he asked the sorting hat to put him into Gryffindor.

            Just then the train’s breaks screeched, and it slowly came to a somewhat jerky stop. Within seconds it was chaos, with students spilling out into the narrow aisles of the train, their chatter nearly deafening. Rose and I exchanged a glance before merging into the sea of bodies, my heart thundering in my chest. I kept reminding myself that I just had to make it through tonight, and then the rest of my year would be easy.

            It was funny. Before today I’d never really worried about what house I would be sorted into. To me it had always been a given that I would end up in Gryffindor like my entire family before me. Then on the car ride to King’s Cross James decided to be cheeky and bring up the fact that I could easily end up in Slytherin. Now that was all I could think of.

            As Rose and I stepped off the train, I scanned the crowd for James, suddenly longing to talk to him one more time before I put on a hat that would decide my future for me. He was nowhere to be seen, however, and so instead I made my way over to the large, familiar figure that was holding a lantern above the crowd and shouting, “Firs’ years! Firs’ years this way!”

            “Hey, Hagrid!” I said as I approached him, and he grinned down at me, his small, black eyes the only things visible through the hair covering his face and head. Hagrid was a friend of the family, one who’d come to visit us from time to time over the holidays. We even had a special chair made just for him, after he’d broken nearly every chair in our house first.

            “Al, I nearly forgot that yeh were comin’ to Hogwarts this year! Yer gettin’ old. Gather ‘round, we’ll be headin’ out shortly. How’re yeh, Miss Rosie?”

            “I’m good, Hagrid, thanks.”

            Rose and I stood side by side, waiting as the rest of our peers gathered around us. Off to my right, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Scorpius Malfoy stood off by himself. For a moment I considered going over and introducing myself to him, although I wasn’t sure why I would, but then someone tapped me on the shoulder.

            “You’re Albus Potter, right?”

            I stared at the boy who had approached me, trying to figure out if I knew him from somewhere. He looked unfamiliar, with light brown hair and dark blue eyes and an incredibly round face.

            “Uh, yeah, I am.”

            “Son of _the_ Harry Potter?”

            Rose and I glanced at each other, exchanging our confusion.

            “Yeah, my dad’s Harry Potter.” The boy was staring at me in amazement, though I wasn’t quite sure why. I remembered back to when everybody had been staring at my dad on the platform and began to slowly put two and two together.

            “W-o-w,” the boy said, drawing the word out. “That’s incredible.”

            I wanted to ask what was so incredible about my dad, but then Hagrid said, “All right, you lot, let’s get down to the boats.”

            I cast one more curious glance at the boy before following after Hagrid. As we rounded the corner, though, all thoughts of the boy and his strange words flew from my mind as I took in the sight of the castle. It was huge, bigger than I’d ever dreamed it would be. The windows shone yellow in the growing darkness, their reflection sparkling on the great, black lake that stretched on seemingly forever. The surface of the lake was as smooth as glass, and I felt the temptation to walk upon it instead of getting into the boats as Hagrid was instructing us to do.

            “Four to a boat, tha’s it. No more’n four to a boat. Mind yer step.”

            I climbed into a boat with Rose, and the strange boy joined us. Every so often I noticed a head turn and crane in order to get a better look at our boat, and I suspected that they too were trying to get a look at me for some reason.

            “Wha’s yer name? Malfoy?” I heard Hagrid ask, and I glanced over my shoulder to see that Scorpius was the only one not in a boat yet. “I hope yer not as much trouble as yer father was. I ain’t one to judge someone off their parents, though. Why’n’cha get in that boat over there with Al and Rosie, they’ve got room fer one more.”

            Scorpius nodded silently and then walked over to our boat. The other boy, whose name was still a mystery to me, cast a nervous glance at Scorpius but said nothing. I decided to break the uncomfortable silence in our boat.

            “I’m Al, and this is Rose. You’re Scorpius, right?” I held out my hand for Scorpius to shake, but he only glanced at it before turning his attention back to the school. I hesitated for a moment and then started to let my hand drop, but the other boy reached out and snatched it, shaking it vigorously.

            “I’m Ryan Waters, and I’ve heard so much about your family. It’s an honor to meet a Potter,” he enthused. I smiled at him but snatched my hand back, still unsure of why he was so obsessed with my name or my dad. Clearly there was something that my parents hadn’t told me. I wondered if James knew about it.

            “Everyone in?” Hagrid called out from the front of the fleet of boats. He had one all to himself. Once he was sure that there were no more stragglers like Scorpius, he shouted, “FORWARD!”

            The boats lurched and then moved forward, gliding across the smooth surface of the lake towards the castle. I felt my stomach lurch with the boats, the nerves once again returning, if they’d ever really left in the first place. Really, it felt as though they’d taken up permanent residence in my gut, every once in a while stirring up and buzzing throughout my whole body like a swarm of bees.

            _I just have to make it through tonight, and then everything will be fine_ , I reminded myself again, taking deep breaths and trying to enjoy the ride.


	3. What Have I Done?

            Once the boats had docked in a small harbor underneath the school, all of us scrambled out of the boats and up a flight of stone steps to the huge front door, which Hagrid pounded his large fist against. The door opened to reveal Neville—Professor Longbottom, I reminded myself—and my heart leapt to see a familiar face. His eyes rested on Rose and I for a moment, and he gave us a quick smile before turning his attention to the whole crowd gathered before him.

            “Hello everyone. Please follow me.”

            He turned and led us into the Entrance Hall, which was ten times bigger than I’d imagined it to be. Really, everything was bigger than I’d imagined it to be. I couldn’t help but be fascinated by the torches that lined the walls, the only source of light in this cavernous room. The flickering of the flames was enchanting, and the long shadows that they cast gave the castle an almost eerie vibe if it weren’t for the palpable excitement radiating off of my peers. I noticed two large doors off to my right, and there was a faint rumble of voices from behind them, belonging to the rest of the school. Professor Longbottom led us past the doors, however, and into a small room off the hall. As we all squeezed inside, the professor began talking.

            “Yes, well, welcome to Hogwarts, everyone!” He grinned at everyone before continuing. “We’re very excited to have you here. I’m Professor Longbottom, Deputy Headmaster here at Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will start soon, but first we’ve got to get you sorted into your houses. Your houses will be like your family here, and you’ll be spending a lot of time together. You’ll have classes together, you’ll be spending time in your house common room, and you’ll sleeping in your house dormitory.

            “So in order to get you sorted, you will be taking part in the Sorting Ceremony. You will be sorted into either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Take care to be an asset to your house, because you will gain or lose points based on your behavior and performance. The points are added together at the end of the year, and the house with the most points will win the House Cup.

            “The ceremony will be starting in a couple of minutes, so I’ll be back to get you when we’re ready. Please wait quietly.”

            He smiled once more before hurrying out of the room. Almost immediately the room erupted into hushed chatter. I caught bits and pieces of whispered conversations.

            “ _Neville Longbottom_ , he was part of the Second Wizarding War—”

            “Not only that, he helped _win_ the war—”

            “My mum says that she knew him and Harry Potter—”

            “Isn’t that Harry Potter’s son over there?”

            I suddenly felt all eyes on me, and I felt heat rise and settle in my cheeks. I knew about the Second Wizarding War, of course. Every child in the wizarding world knew about the war, and Lord Voldemort, and how the Final Battle was fought here at Hogwarts. It had taken a full year for the school to be restored to its previous state. What I didn’t know was what my dad or Professor Longbottom had to do with any of that, other than the fact that they had fought in it. Maybe that was all there was to it. Maybe there weren’t nearly as many people fighting in the Final Battle as I’d previously thought, so all of the people who _had_ were now considered famous or something. That had to be it.

            I wondered if I was the only person actually concerned with the sorting instead of the supposed fame of a teacher and a dad. Glancing around the room I saw a few other faces that seemed to betray a hint of nerves, and knowing that I wasn’t alone made me feel a bit better. Still, most people’s eyes were still focused on me as they whispered back and forth, and I almost felt like shouting at them that, actually, I could hear them no matter how quiet they thought they were being.

            However, before I could do so Professor Longbottom returned.

            “We’re ready for you. Follow me, please.”

            Everyone formed a straight line and followed him out of the room and back into the Entrance Hall. When we reached the large double doors he pushed them open and walked through, revealing the largest, grandest room I’d ever seen in my entire life. The ceiling was not a ceiling at all, but instead the night sky, and in midair floated thousands of wax candles, all flickering and providing their light. As we walked down the middle of the hall, two long tables bordered us on either side, four tables in all. Each was covered in the most beautiful, glittering golden plates and goblets I’d ever seen. At the head of the hall was another table, where the teachers sat. At the dead center of the table was an older man with a scruffy black beard and kind brown eyes. That must be the headmaster, Professor Greenwich. James had only spoken to him once in his two years here, but he claimed that the man was nice enough, if not a bit odd. When James had said that, dad had replied, “All of the best people are a bit odd, don’t you think?”

            As Professor Longbottom placed a four-legged stool in front of us and placed the Sorting Hat on it my heart began doing somersaults. This was it. The moment I had been anticipating, maybe even dreading. I waited for Professor Longbottom to call the first student up to be sorted as the entire hall fell silent, but he didn’t, and in confusion I looked about the room. Then a strange voice began to sing, and I turned back to see that it was the hat itself!

            “I am the Sorting Hat, you see

            Made by the Hogwarts royalty

            To be put upon your young heads

            And see your thoughts, your hopes, and dreads.

 

            And with this knowledge that I’ll behold

            Your chosen house soon will be told

            They’ll welcome you with open arms

            And keep you safe from any harm.

 

            For houses, as you’ll come to see

            Are just as close as family

            But understand as well you can

            That all of Hogwarts should together stand.

 

            So now the question seems to be

            ‘Which house is the best fit for me?’

            Fear not, though, children, and have good faith

            That I will put you in your proper place.

 

            So do you belong in Gryffindor,

            Where dwell the brave and true?

            Perhaps the house of Ravenclaw,

            Home of the cleverest of you?

 

            Maybe Hufflepuff’s your chosen house,

            Where lie those fair and kind?

            Or maybe Slytherin, the house

            Where only cunning you’ll find?

 

            You all will have to wait and see

            As you’re all called up to put on me

            Fear not, for I am sewn with care

            And your perfect house I’ll very soon share.”

            Everyone began cheering, and I joined in the applause. Nobody had ever told me that the Sorting Hat sang, and I cast an accusing glare in the direction of the Gryffindor table. I could imagine James shrugging his shoulders and saying, “I couldn’t tell you everything, little brother.”

            Once the applause had died down, Professor Longbottom stepped forward, a scroll of parchment in his hand. “Alright, now as I call your name you will sit down on the stool and the hat will sort you. Adair, Tommen.”

            A boy standing right next to me hesitantly walked forward, nearly missing the stool as he went to sit down and quickly correcting himself as a scattering of chuckles rang out. Then Professor Longbottom slid the Sorting Hat onto the boy’s head. The hat was way too big and slid down past the boy’s eyes, and they sat like that for a moment before the hat shouted, “RAVENCLAW!”

            The table second from the left hooted and hollered as Tommen handed the hat back over to Professor Longbottom and then hurried to join them.

            “Albert, Henry.”

            “HUFFLEPUFF!” The table on the far right cheered this time.

            “Baker, Rachel.”

            “RAVENCLAW!”

            “Durant, Craig.”

            “GRYFFINDOR!” The table on the far left exploded into cheers, far louder than any of the previous houses had been. I glanced over at the table, looking for my brother, and after a moment our eyes met. He sat next to Fred, and a few seats down from them were Victoire and her younger sister Roxanne, who was a year older than us.

            “Eads, Veronica.”

            “SLYTHERIN!” The table second from the right erupted into cheers that rivaled those of the Gryffindors. I looked at that table now, and observed how unfriendly they all looked, as though they were all individually plotting the demise of… something.

            On and on the list went, and I found my mind drifting until I heard the name “Malfoy, Scorpius.”

            The boy, who had been standing a bit away from the crowd of first years, now made his way up to the stool. He sat down and the hat was placed on his head, but it wasn’t there more than five seconds before it shouted, “SLYTHERIN.”

            Scorpius’s face was impassive as he walked to the table that was cheering louder for him than it had for any of its other new members.

A couple more names were called, and then mine.

            “Potter, Albus.”

            I felt the eyes of my peers boring into the back of my skull as I walked up to the stool, returning the friendly smile that Professor Longbottom gave me. As the hat slid over my eyes, I suddenly felt the weight of this moment fully sink in.

            “I sense a bit of unease in you,” a voice hissed in my ear, and I jumped a little at the sound of it. “Confusion, perhaps. Indecisiveness.”

            _I’m not indecisive. I know what I want. I want to be in Gryffindor_ , I thought at the hat, hoping that it could hear me.

            “Do you? Are you sure?”

 _…Yes_.

            “What if I were to tell you that, in fact, you would fit much better with Slytherin.”

            My worst fears were coming true. This was exactly what I hadn’t wanted. I cursed James for even putting the thought in my head. That was what was making all of this happen. I would have already been in Gryffindor if it hadn’t been for him.

            _I don’t belong in Slytherin_. _I belong in Gryffindor_.

            “Really? Do you find that you value bravery above all else?”

            Would it look suspicious if I was wearing this hat for too long? What would people think? What if Professor Longbottom yanked it off of my head and told me to go home, that I clearly wasn’t magical if the hat didn’t want to sort me. People would think that I was a squib.

            _Yes_.

            “Or do you value cunning? Do you value resourcefulness and ambition? _Do you want to be more than your family thinks you can be_?”

            _…Yes_.

            As I thought the word, my world spun. I didn’t know what it meant. I had no clue where it came from. But before I knew what was happening the hat was shouting “SLYTHERIN” and an absolute hush fell over the entire Great Hall. Slowly, I eased the hat off of my head, my messy black hair surely sticking up in all directions, and I gazed around the great hall at all of the people that were staring at me. James appeared dumbstruck, as did Fred. Rose’s face was pale, almost ghostly white, and her eyes were wide and staring at me in horror. Even Professor Longbottom seemed speechless. And then my eyes flickered over to Scorpius, who was, for the first time, watching me with interest.

            And all I could think was, _What have I done?_


	4. Home Is Where the Heart Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quotes marked with * are from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I did not write them and claim no ownership of them.

            As I slowly moved to join my new house, I began to feel the full weight of my decision sink in, weighing me down so that every step I took was laborious. The eyes of everyone in the room followed me, and anger began to replace my dread. Sure, I understood why my family would be shocked. And maybe Professor Longbottom and Hagrid, since they knew my family. But all of these strangers? Why did they seem to care so much? Why was it their business?

            When I reached the table I found about a hundred unfriendly faces looking back at me. Nobody moved over to give me room to sit, so I stood there awkwardly for a moment before I noticed someone shift in my peripheral. My gaze shifted to them, and I was surprised to see that it was Scorpius. He had scooted down on the bench, though he was looking anywhere but into my eyes. Regardless, I was thankful for it, and there was only a few more seconds of silence until Professor Longbottom moved on to the next first year on the list.

            I sat in silence for the rest of the ceremony, questioning my own sanity, and I was so consumed in my own thoughts that I nearly missed Rose getting sorted (into Gryffindor, of course). Rose was the last on the list, and as she moved to sit down she glanced tentatively over her shoulder at me. I gave her a small smile, which she returned, and as she sat down across from James, Professor Greenwich stood and cleared his throat.

            “Well, it appears that we have some very fine young people joining our ranks this year.” He made a point to look at all four of the long tables before continuing. “I personally couldn’t be any more pleased, and I know that you will all make your houses—and this school—very proud. Of course, I know that you all must be famished, so I’ll stop blabbering on like the old fool that I am! So, please, dig in!” He gestured widely and as he did so food magically appeared on the plates in front of us. My eyes widened in amazement, and out of habit I glanced around for someone to share in my enthusiasm with me. However, nobody at the table was looking my way, and when I turned around to glance behind me at my family they were all sharing in the moment with each other. I had been forgotten.

            Disheartened, I turned back to the food, feeling incredibly un-hungry now. I knew that I needed to eat something, though, so I grabbed a single chicken leg and began to slowly work my way through it to the bone. When I was about halfway through it, I glanced to my right and noticed that Scorpius was eating in silence as well, something that struck me as odd since he’d received such a warm welcome when he’d been sorted. I opened my mouth a few times, thinking that I could maybe start a conversation with him, but I had no idea of what to say and so I said nothing.

            Quite suddenly, from all different directions (including through the tables), ghosts of all shapes and sizes drifted into the Great Hall, chattering away with each other or greeting the students kindly. Many of them sat down at the tables with the students, striking up boisterous conversations. I watched them with amusement, having only ever heard of ghosts before. At the Gryffindor table, I noticed that a ghost was chatting with my brother and cousins. I felt my eyes widen as the ghost grabbed his left ear and tugged his head to the side, leaving a gory stump of neck while his head rested on his shoulder, attached by the smallest flap of skin. It was Nearly Headless Nick! James had mentioned him in a letter home once, and dad had known him during his time here at Hogwarts. I wished desperately that I was over there with them.

It was only when the main course had disappeared to be replaced by desserts that I finally built up my courage enough to speak to Scorpius.

            “I love apple pie, don’t you?” I asked as I grabbed one of the miniature pies that was piled high on a tray in front of me. Scorpius only flicked his eyes in my direction and then shrugged before returning his attention to the treacle tart he was working on. I sucked in a deep breath and tried again. “I mean, I’m more of a cherry pie kind of guy, but apple is a close second—”

            “Yeah, pies are grand.” His tone was sarcastic, but at least it was an answer.

            “Well then what do you like? Treacle tarts?” I pointed to the one in his hand. “I like those too. Not more than apple pie, but they’re pretty good.”

            Scorpius sucked in a deep breath through his nose before sighing it out, but he made no attempt at actually replying to me. After that I simply gave up, turning back to my desert and picking at it until the meal was finally over with. Once the trays and plates were magically cleared again, Professor Greenwich stood up once more.

            “Now that you’re all a bit fuller, I feel confident that you’ll all be able to give me your full attention as I share with you all some of the more important start-of-term notices. First and foremost, I find it put upon me by Mr. Filch to remind you all once again that the Forbidden Forrest is just as it sounds: Forbidden. Meaning that no student, regardless of their intentions, should be setting foot within it.” His eyes flashed over to James and Fred, who both looked back at him with wide, innocent eyes. A few scattered chuckles filled the air from those who knew what the two of them had done. I remembered the day mum and dad got the owl saying that James had been caught trying to sneak into the Forbidden Forest while wearing one of Uncle George’s cheap invisibility cloaks that Fred had stolen from the joke shop (they hadn’t realized that the purpose of the cloak was for the spell to wear off at the most inopportune time, which was exactly what happened when a professor just happened to walk by as James was about to enter the forest). Mum had wanted to send him a howler for it, but dad claimed that that was just cruel and unusual punishment, and that she would be just like Gran. That had quieted the idea immediately. They did send him a letter reprimanding him, though, but he simply replied that he wouldn’t have gotten caught if dad would just give him the real invisibility cloak already. Dad had laughed at that, but mum was not amused. Or maybe she was, and she was just better at hiding it.

            “Second, Mr. Filch has also asked me to remind you all that no magic is to be used in the corridors between classes. In his own words, ‘The halls are meant for walking, not making a bigger mess to clean up.’

            “Finally, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term, as per usual. Please contact Madam Hooch if you are interested. Also, please remember that first years are not permitted to try out for their house team. I suppose you’ll have to make due with sitting in the stands like the rest of us for the year. Perhaps make some signs. The players really can’t see them, but they do liven things up!”

            Everyone chuckled at that, and Professor Greenwich smiled. “Now, before I send you all off to your beds, I implore you all to sing the school song with me!” With a flick of his wand the words appeared in the air. “My old headmaster, the late Professor Dumbledore, used to allow us to sing to whatever tune we wished, and so now I carry on that tradition in his name. Let’s sing!”

            "Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

            Teach us something please,

            Whether we be old and bald

            Or young with scabby knees,

            Our heads could do with filling

            With some interesting stuff,

            For now they're bare and full of air,

            Dead flies and bits of fluff,

            So teach us things worth knowing,

            Bring back what we've forgot,

            Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

            And learn until our brains all rot.”*

            I sang along, though I couldn’t help but be self-conscious, as hardly anyone else around me was participating in the fun. The whole time all I could think was that I had made a mistake. A big one. These weren’t the kind of people I belonged with. I belonged at the Gryffindor table, where my brother and Fred were singing operatic style while Rose laughed along with them. I didn’t belong amongst sullen stares and lips that barely moved as they quietly sang the school song.

            Once we had finished singing, we were led off to our common rooms by our house prefects. The prefect us Slytherins were instructed to follow was short and stocky, with thick, furrowed eyebrows and a perpetual snarl on his thin lips. He hardly said a word to us, instead just gesturing for us to follow him and then lumbering out of the Great Hall. As we left, I glanced over my shoulder one last time at my family, who were laughing and joking with each other merrily. As I was almost out of sight, James’s eyes met mine, and I was shocked at the coldness behind them. It was such a drastic change from the lively sparkle that had been in them moments before. I wished I could say something to him, but then I had walked through the large doors and I could no longer see him.

            We were led down into the dungeons, which were cold and altogether unwelcoming. Although Scorpius still wasn’t speaking to me, I found myself hanging close to him, his presence comforting even though he didn’t give me a second glance. As we walked I was almost sure that I would never find my way here on my own, for everything looked the same. Stone walls covered with moss and torches lining the walls every few feet. Finally we came to a stop at a plain stone wall, and I stared at it in confusion for a moment.

            Then the prefect informed us: “The password is Salazar.”

            As he said the word, the wall melted out of existence, and he led us into a dark yet comfortable common room. As we walked, he said, “The password changes every fortnight, so check the bulletin board for the new password then.” He pointed to a bulletin board that stood in a corner closest to the wall we’d entered though (from this point of view the wall appeared transparent, with the corridor beyond clearly visible). “Boys dormitories are that way, girls are that way. Your things are waiting for you. G‘night.” And with that he walked off toward the boys dormitories. Students of all ages were pouring into the common room, talking amongst themselves, laughing and acting surprisingly like normal teenagers. I wondered if maybe their cold exterior was more for show than anything else.

            Now I took the time to take in the common room a bit more. The entire room was lit with a greenish tint, which I assumed came from the lake water that shimmered from behind large windows. My eyes widened as a giant squid drifted lazily past, and suddenly this common room seemed more appealing. The green, button-tufted leather sofas looked comfortable enough, and the dark wood cupboards were decorative. Of course, the random skulls that sat perched in odd places felt a bit foreboding, but the calm flickering of flames in the fireplace provided a warm hominess to the room.

            Once I had taken in the room, I turned to address Scorpius. However, he was gone, as were most of the other Slytherins. Only a few remained in the common room, sitting around on the couches or slouched in armchairs, making tired conversation. They all made a point to glare at me as I passed on my way to the dormitory, something that I tried my best to ignore. The spiral staircase leading to the dormitories actually led downward, deeper underground, which gave me a small inkling of claustrophobia. I thought about the stories my parents had told me about Gryffindor Tower. How the passwords to get past the painting of the Fat Lady were always fun to say, and how comfortable and warm the common room was. They had told me about how you could see for miles out of the windows in the dormitories. I had been looking forward to all of that, and now I’d taken it away from myself. Taken it away for glares and clear hatred that I didn’t understand nor deserve.

            But I had to deal with it now. For the next seven years of my life.

            As I found the dormitory for first years and picked out my bed, my other seven roommates already asleep under their emerald comforters in their four-poster beds, I felt the full extent of my dread settle upon me. Could I handle this? Was I strong enough?

            That night I dreamt of being sorted into Gryffindor, the house I truly belonged in.


	5. The Lonely Slytherin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I mean, it's been a really, really long time. But I promise that I'll be sticking with this to completion!

            I awoke, groggy and disheveled from a restless night’s sleep, to an empty dormitory. Well, empty except for the house elf that was tapping my forehead with its long index finger. Startled, I leapt out of bed, tumbling to the floor in a mess of sheets. The house elf quickly ran around the bed, looking positively scared out of its mind.

            “I’m so sorry sir! I just thought I should wake you, since everybody has gone down to the Great Hall already for breakfast—”

            “Wha’ time is it?” I mumbled, rubbing the sore spot on the back of my head where I’d just whacked it on the ground.

            “Nearly nine thirty, sir.”

            My eyes widened and I jumped to my feet, startling the elf once more. It scrambled backwards in fear, hiding behind my bed and peeking around the corner of it at me. I couldn’t believe it. I was about to be late on my very first day of Hogwarts. Even dad hadn’t managed that in all of his six years here. Panicked, I began rushing about the room, gathering up my clothes and changing into my uniform as quickly as I could. I couldn’t understand how I had managed to oversleep, especially when all of the other boys would have had to get up and make noise this morning. As I changed, the house elf watched me with its large green eyes, wringing its hands fretfully. Remembering what my Aunt Hermione always said about treating house elves decently, I asked, “Who are you, then?”

            “I’m Grete, sir.” A girl. Suddenly I became a bit less comfortable about having changed in front of her, but I decided not to worry about that for now.

            “Well, Grete, thanks for waking me up,” I said sincerely, and she gently crept out from behind my bed.

            “It is my pleasure, sir.”

            “You don’t have to call me sir,” I said, gathering up my schoolbooks and giving her a kind smile. “My name’s Albus Potter. You can call me Al.”

            Amazingly, Grete’s eyes grew even wider, and she gasped loudly. “Are you the son of Harry Potter, sir?”

            I was about to walk out the door, but her words stopped me in my tracks. _Why_ did everybody care so much about who my dad was?

            “Yeah. Did you know him?”

            “No, sir, but I know _of_ him. All house elves do. I don’t believe that there’s anyone in the wizarding world, creature or otherwise, that doesn’t know of the boy who defeated the Dark Lord.”

            “The… The what?” I asked, stunned.

            “Harry Potter was the Boy Who Lived. He defeated You-Know-Who in the final battle here at Hogwarts. Everyone knows this, sir.”

            My mouth was agape, and my heart was pounding in my chest. I needed to know more, but I was close to being late for class, something that I couldn’t risk right now. So I asked, “Grete, I’d like to talk to you later, is there a place we can meet?”

            Grete appeared surprised by this, but she replied, “I spend most of my days in the kitchens, sir.”

            I didn’t know how to get to the kitchens, but I was sure it couldn’t be too difficult. “I’ll meet you there after my classes are over. I’d like to ask you a few questions about my dad, if that’s alright.”

            “I suppose so, sir—”

            “Fantastic. Thank you, Grete.” With that, I rushed out of the dormitory, up the spiral staircase, through the common room (getting dirty looks from older students as I ran past them), and out into the maze of hallways that lead out into the castle. It was then that I realized that I didn’t even know which class I was supposed to be running to, since schedules were supposed to be handed out at breakfast. Cursing myself, I sprinted through the twisting, identical dungeon hallways, hitting dead ends multiple times before finally finding a staircase and escaping into the Entrance Hall. I quickly made my way into the nearly empty Great Hall, sweat dripping from my forehead, and ran up to where Nev—er, Professor Longbottom—was sitting, chatting with a few of the other professors who didn’t have a class to teach.

            “Al, I was wondering where you were this morning,” Professor Longbottom said, his eyebrows knitted together with worry, taking in my disheveled appearance.

            “I—” Gasp. “Overslept—” Gasp. “Can I have—” Gasp. “My schedule, please?” Huff, huff, huff.

            “Your head of house will have that,” he said, pointing in the direction of the least friendly woman I’d ever seen. She was tall, and slender, with sharp cheekbones and narrow eyes and lips pinched thin. Her black hair was cut short, in a pixie-cut fashion, showing off her long neck. I stared at her fearfully. Could today get any worse?

            “Alright…” I nervously glanced back at Professor Longbottom, who gave me a nod of encouragement, and then I slowly crept up to the scary woman. She was deep in conversation with the Headmaster, and I nervously cleared my throat to get her attention. When her grey-blue eyes shifted to me, I instantly regretted approaching her.

            “Can I help you?” she asked coolly.

            “Yes. Um. I’m Albus Potter. I was wondering if I could have my schedule, please.”

            She cocked a thin eyebrow at me, and I shrunk back slightly. “And why weren’t you here earlier to receive it when I was passing them out?”

            “Er, I overslept, ma’am.”

            She didn’t seem to quite believe me, despite the earnest look I gave her, but after a moment she pulled a single sheet of paper out of the pocket of her robes and handed it to me. I glanced down at it and saw that it was my schedule, and I gave her a relieved smile.

            “Thank you.”

            “Don’t make a habit of skipping breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. Even the son of the great Harry Potter needs the energy, I’m sure.”

            There it was again. “Great” Harry Potter. I was at least thankful that I would be getting more information about that at the end of the day. For now, I simply nodded and said, “It most definitely won’t happen again, ma’am.”

            “Good. I’ll see you this afternoon, Mr. Potter.” In response to the confused look I gave her, she reached out and tapped my schedule with her long, slender index finger. “Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

            I glanced down at my schedule and saw that that was my first class after lunch. And apparently her name was Professor Christina Burke. I suddenly realized that this was the Professor Burke that James always complained about. Apparently she was constantly on him, giving him a detention every other month for “no good reason.” Apprehension churned in my stomach as I glanced back up at her.

            “Right. Good. I’ll see you then, Professor Burke.” I gave her a small smile, which, to my utter surprise, she returned. Huh. Maybe James was just full of it, as usual. Pleased with my successful interaction with, in James’s words, “The meanest professor to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts,” I hurried off to my first class, which was listed on my schedule to be Charms.

            Professor Flitwick had already started class when I burst into the room, once again panting and out of breath. He seemed stunned by my grand entrance, but instructed me to sit down. I did so, taking the only seat available—the one right next to Scorpius. Scorpius, who didn’t give me a second glance. As usual.

            Charms went well enough, as did History of Magic, and then it was time for lunch. As I was about to walk into the Great Hall, a blessedly familiar voice called out, “Al, wait up!”

            I spun around to see Rose hurrying down the grand staircase, and I grinned widely. I was so thankful to finally see a friendly face after being glared at all day, and when she nearly bowled me over with a hug I clutched at her as if my life depended upon it. We stayed in the embrace for a moment before she pulled back and gave me a worried once-over.

            “Are you okay? I’ve been so worried, you weren’t at breakfast, and I’d thought for sure that the Slytherins had offed you in your sleep or something. Oh this is so terrible. How did this happen? It must have been a mistake, I’m sure that if we just talk to Headmaster Greenwich he can sort the whole thing out and—”

            “Rose, Rose, ROSE!” I shouted above her rambling, and she immediately shut up. I sighed and took a few steps back from her. “It wasn’t a mistake.”

            “I—what?”

            “I mean, maybe it was a mistake, but… It was my mistake. Not the hat’s.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “The hat talked to me. And it told me I’d be better off in Slytherin. And I… I said yes. I had a choice and I said yes to Slytherin. It’s my fault.”

            This seemed to stun her into silence for a minute, but she quickly recovered.

            “Alright. You had a momentary lapse in judgement. That doesn’t mean you should be stuck for the next seven years in a house you obviously don’t belong in. If we explain all of this to the Headmaster, I’m sure he can sort it all out.”

            “Yeah, I guess…”

            “How about you and I plan on going to talk to the Headmaster tonight? After classes.”

            “Oh, uh, I can’t. I have plans.”

            The stunned look she gave me said it all. “Plans with whom?”

            “With… With a house elf.” I could have died of embarrassment right then and there. Then I got a sudden idea. “Actually, how about you come with me? We’ll talk to the house elf and then go straight to the Headmaster afterwards. Do you think you can get James and Fred to tell you how to get into the kitchens?”

            “I—”

            “Rose!” a voice barked roughly. She and I glanced up to see James storming over to us, an uncertain Fred on his heels. I tried to give him a small smile, but his angry glare was focused on our cousin. “What did I tell you? We don’t talk to _Slytherins_.”

            Rose’s face contorted with fury of her own. “Oh, James, don’t be ridiculous. This is _Al_. Your _brother_.”

            “No brother of _mine_ would get sorted into Slytherin,” James spat. Now I was angry, and I shoved him, finally managing to get him to look at me.

            “This is all _your fault_! If you hadn’t even put the thought of getting sorted into Slytherin in my mind, none of this would have happened!”

            “You’re a bloody _embarrassment_ to the Potter name. What do you think dad’ll say when he finds out about this?”

            “He already told me that it would be okay if I got sorted into Slytherin, so I reckon he’ll be fine with it.”

            This caused James to pause in his angry tirade for a moment, but then he said, “He obviously didn’t _mean_ that, he was just trying to make you feel better. When he finds out that you were actually sorted into Slytherin, he’ll probably disinherit you. And what was with you sitting next to _Scorpius Malfoy_ , of all people? Honestly, it’s like you’re hoping to become a dark wizard by the time you graduate.”

            “Boys, is there a problem here?” a cool voice asked, and we looked up into the stern gaze of Professor Burke.

            “No, ma’am,” James mumbled, immediately stepping away from me. The professor looked to me for confirmation, and I nodded, averting my eyes.

            “Well, then, I suggest that you all make your way into the Great Hall for lunch.”

            We all nodded, and immediately hurried our separate ways, them to the Gryffindor table and me to the Slytherin one. As I approached, I saw Scorpius watching me, but he quickly looked away when he saw me notice him. However, he made a point to scooch over, like he had last night at the welcoming feast. I was about to go and sit by him when I remembered James’s words, and then, biting my lip, I turned and sat at the end of the Slytherin table, away from all of my other housemates. I glanced over my shoulder at where James, Rose, and Fred were sitting, and when I caught my brother’s eye, he gave me one curt nod of approval before turning his attention back to the other two. Sadly, I sighed and grabbed a sandwich, placing it on my plate and picking at the meat and cheese until it was time for my next class.


End file.
